Night Whispers/Chapter 1
Chapter description :A yowl is heard slicing through the battle, sharp with grief in comparison to rage. Ducking out of Toadfoot's way, Dovepaw spins around to find Firestar being dragged away across the battle-crowded clearing, the grass glistening a crimson color behind him. Birchfall sinks his teeth farther into Firestar's scruff, heaving him over Spiderleg's shoulders, and helping the warrior carry the leader away into the trees. Horror rushes through Dovepaw, and around her, the fighting is gradually stopping as cats sheathe their claws and stare in bewilderment. Brambleclaw, broad shoulders wet with blood, pads toward Blackstar, whose head is bent over a dark ginger body. Brambleclaw dips his head, growling that the battle is won, and the clearing belongs to ThunderClan. He asks Blackstar if he concedes or if they will fight for it once more. :Blackstar flashes a look of burning hate over his shoulder, hissing that the ThunderClan warriors can take it, as it was not worth the blood that had been spilled. Brambleclaw backs away, causing Dovepaw to identify the ginger pelt as Russetfur, wondering if she is dead. The ShadowClan deputy lays unmoved, with the exception of the blood that is trickling from her lips. The ShadowClan cats begin to step carefully past the ThunderClan warriors and head for the pines. Scorchfur, Tigerheart and Rowanclaw stop beside Blackstar, and while Scorchfur nudges Blackstar to his paws, guiding him gently into the trees, Tigerheart grabs Russetpelt's fur and slowly heaves her onto Rowanclaw's shoulders. In silence, they follow their battered Clanmates into the mist-masked trees. :Staring after them, Dovepaw feels the energy drain from her as she watches Tigerheart's tail snake into the shadows. She looks around for Ivypaw, who is seen helping Blossomfall limp toward the forest. Ivypaw murmurs to her Clanmate, telling her that Jayfeather will fix her up, and it is noted that there is no hint of their past quarrels in Ivypaw's mew. Squirrelflight, meanwhile, checks Leafpool's wounds, while the tabby scans the battlefield, her eyes round with worry. Squirrelflight reassures her sister, telling the she-cat that Lionblaze is okay. Brightheart is seen laying on the grass, panting, her eye so wide that a circle of white showed around the blue. Cloudtail proceeds to nudge her with his muzzle, telling Brightheart that she will feel better once she starts moving. Brightheart lets out a low moan as she staggers herself up to her paws. :Bumblestripe, ear torn, surveys the flattened grass, and declares that he thinks they showed up the ShadowClan cats. Hazeltail glances at him, scorn in her eyes as she presses closer to Mousewhisker, lapping at her brother's bleeding, ruffled fur. Between licks, Hazeltail asks Bumblestripe what they showed them, asking if he meant how much blood can be spilled in a pointless battle. It is noted that Lionblaze looks uninjured, and though a smear of blood stains his flank, Dovepaw knows that it isn't his. She frowns, doubts flooding her mind, remembering how Lionblaze is part of the prophecy, like herself. She thinks about how his power is the ability to fight any cat, any creature, without being hurt. She wonders why Lionblaze couldn't save Firestar, as well as asking herself what the point of having all that power is if he couldn't help save his leader. Brambleclaw crosses the stained grass where Russetfur had been over to Lionblaze, touching the tip of his tail to the tom's shoulder. He murmurs that Russetfur was too old for the battle and it isn't Lionblaze's fault that she died, causing Lionblaze to hang his head. :Dovepaw's belly tightens, shock crossing her mind as she learns that Lionblaze killed Russetfur. She notes that her mentor looks shattered, eyes dull. Hurrying over to his side, Dovepaw presses herself against his flank, feeling utterly helpless. She recalls how her power is the ability to hear and see things that are happening far away, farther than other cats can sense, and thinks about how she should have known what ShadowClan was up to. Instead, it had been Ivypaw who told Firestar that Blackstar was planning to invade ThunderClan's territory and steal more land for hunting. Dovepaw wonders if StarClan had sent the dream to Ivypaw because she had refused to use her powers to spy on the other Clans, adding that if she had been listening and watching as her mentor, Lionblaze, asked, she would have known what ShadowClan intended, and warned Firestar about it before there was no choice left except to fight. She asks herself if she could have prevented the fight. Dovepaw feels Lionblaze's warm breath as he touches his muzzle to the top of her head, whispering it's time to go home. She presses close to Lionblaze as they trudge on heavy paws through the trees. Characters Major }} Minor *Brambleclaw *Lionblaze *Russetfur *Ivypaw *Blackstar }} Mentioned *Birchfall *Spiderleg *Scorchfur *Tigerheart *Rowanclaw *Jayfeather *Squirrelflight *Leafpool *Brightheart *Cloudtail *Bumblestripe *Hazeltail *Mousewhisker }} Errors *Mousewhisker is mistakenly referred to as Hazeltail's sister rather than brother. Notes and references Category:Night Whispers Category:Chapter subpages Category:Omen of the Stars arc